Axios

Nearly 700,000 protesters gathered in London's Parliament square seeking a referendum on Brexit, reports the BBC.

Why it matters: A referendum has already been ruled out by Prime Minister Theresa May, per the BBC. If she were to reverse her decision a referendum would likely generate a majority vote to remain in the EU: The UK’s demographics are moving in a pro-EU direction, and some voters have changed their minds, writes Peter Kellner for Axios. Participants of the "People's Vote" march held the largest gathering of its kind as Britain continues to grapple with negotiations to leave the European Union.

Gilze en Rijen, the Netherlands — There are hundreds of North Korean defectors living in Europe, many considering it safer for themselves and their families still in the North than either South Korea or the U.S.

Why it matters: "North Korea considers the U.S. and South Korea as enemies, while its view on Europe is more neutral,” says Jihyun Park, outreach officer at Connect to North Korea, an NGO that campaigns for the rights of North Korean defectors worldwide. Most defectors from North Korea are eventually offered South Korean citizenship, leading to some European countries deporting asylum seekers there. But right activists protest against this, saying North Koreans complain of discrimination in South Korea, which is ill-equipped to handle so many refugees.

The criminal charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort that a jury couldn't come to a decision on in August were dropped Friday as to move him closer to sentencing, Reuters reports.

The details: The prosecutors had hoped to re-visit the charges after Manafort's cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller concluded, per Reuters, but U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis said he was "not willing to go on endlessly," and wanted to move forward with Manafort's sentencing. The charges that were dropped are allowed to be re-introduced at a later date.

China's economic growth dropped to 6.5% in Q3 — the weakest it's been since the financial crisis, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The big picture: The economy overall is on track to still meet its growth target of 6.5%, WSJ reports, though the drop in numbers could hurt China's ability to negotiate with the U.S. amid the brewing trade war.

Wednesday’s summit of European leaders, which followed another meeting last month, failed to produce a breakthrough in the Brexit talks. If the negotiations fall apart, it could precipitate a major crisis for Britain’s government and Parliament.

The big picture: If the March 29, 2019, withdrawal date comes without an agreement on the day-to-day U.K.–EU relationship, MPs would urgently seek a way to resolve the crisis. All potential solutions are likely to involve a U.K. request to delay withdrawal, with a new referendum being the most likely outcome.

The Department of Justice filed charges Friday against a Russian national named Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova for crimes related to interference in the 2016 presidential election through the 2018 midterms.

Why it matters: This is the Justice Department's first criminal case relating to alleged Russian interference in the 2018 midterm elections.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Latin American countries should "keep their eyes open when it comes to China's investments" in an interview with TVN Noticias. The interview was taped yesterday during Pompeo's visit to Panama. He's in Mexico today.

Between the lines: Chinese cash is flowing into Latin America, and Beijing's influence in the region is growing. Pompeo warned that "in some parts of the world, China has left the country in a worse state."

China's economic growth dropped to 6.5% in the third quarter, the Wall Street Journal reports — the weakest it's been since the financial crisis.

The big picture: The economy overall is on track to still meet its growth target of 6.5%, the Journal reports, though the drop in numbers could hurt China's ability to negotiate with the U.S. amid the brewing trade war.

The increased rivalry between the U.S. and China could ultimately damage America's position on the world stage, the Economist writes in its cover story.

The big picture: The Chinese economy is "growing more than twice as fast as America's," and it's investing in technologies like biotech and artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the U.S. and China are increasingly at odds, and the norms dictating that behavior will be difficult to change in the future once they are established.